Shigofumi: Letters From The Departed
Short anime with only 12 episodes sounds like a sweet deal, right? Shigofumi: Letters From The Departed is one such short anime that you can easily binge-watch at any time. It deals with Drama, Fantasy, Supernatural, and Suspense themes. Also, it has a bit of profanity and violence, so we’re giving you a heads up here! We love watching short anime because they’re effortless to binge-watch and make us feel fulfilled.
We’ll be reviewing Shigofumi: Letters from the Departed today. So, without further ado, let’s get right into it!
The story of Shigofumi: Letters from the Departed revolves around a girl named Fumika, who is relatively young. She has an extraordinary job as a mail carrier. And the letters she delivers are not average letters. They’re “after death letters.” The after-death letters are written by those who have died, and they’re delivered to the living.
The letters are very special, as they contain the things that the dead couldn’t say to their loved ones when they were alive. They could also inform their loved ones about the one who murdered them. Fumika is not alone while she’s delivering the letters. She has with her a strange talking staff named Kanaka. She can float as well and likes to be treated as an actual human.
Both Fumika and Kanaka are very different from each other. Fumika is calm, composed, and quiet. On the other hand, Kanaka is loud and bubbly. Both carry out their job of delivering letters from the departed well, and when they’re not delivering the letters, they stay in a realm called Shigo. Typically, the mail carriers are dead people who apparently do not age. However, Fumika does age which means that she is not dead yet.
Looking at the premise of this anime, you must think that 12 episodes are pretty few to fit everything. However, there is no rushing of the story in Shigofumi: Letters from the Departed. It usually is the case with super short anime that they rush the story, giving a very unsatisfying conclusion. But this anime fits everything in just 12 episodes without rushing anything. That’s what we love the most about this anime.
Pulling the heartstrings is what this anime does to us. Its concept is stunning and makes us feel sentimental throughout the series. While it deals with some lighthearted concepts, it also doesn’t shy away from exploring dark concepts like suicide, abuse, depression, and violence.
One thing that’s a bit disappointing is the ending of Shigofumi: Letters from the Departed. It could’ve been dealt with more carefully. There were a few characters that were introduced very late without any explanation. They are also a bit underdeveloped. Other than that, the story itself is fascinating and unique. It’s not the most original anime series out there. But it still manages to win our hearts with the beautiful concept it is portraying.
The main characters of Shigofumi: Letters from the Departed are just flawless. In only 12 episodes, the main characters have reached character development, which is very impressive, to be honest. The minor characters also got some background information, which made us understand things more clearly about them.
Almost all the characters in this anime series are likable. You will find yourself sympathizing with them after knowing their situation. Each character is given a very unique personality that they handle well. All of them were memorable as well.
As mentioned earlier, some minor characters were introduced very late in the series. It didn’t make sense. Those characters were also very flat and dull. Other than that, the characters of Shigofumi: Letters from the Departed are handled well, and we commend the creators for that.
A total eye candy, Shigofumi: Letters from the departed serves us with beautiful animation that is pleasing to the eyes. Even though we believe it could’ve been a bit better, it’s still great. The best thing about the animation of Shigofumi: Letters from the Departed is the character design.
There are a lot of characters, and each character is designed differently so that the viewers won’t get confused. The quality of animation was consistent throughout, and that’s very impressive. We don’t have anything to complain about the animation of this series. It was simply gorgeous.
The music of Shigofumi: Letters from the Departed is probably the best thing about this series. The openings and endings go really well with the themes. They’re not boring or flat at all. The background themes are also perfect, giving a dramatic sound effect in the most dramatic scenes. As far as the voice acting of the characters is concerned, it’s very well done. Music for Shigofumi: Letters from the Departed is a 10/10 for us.
Even though the supernatural part is not well explained in the series, the rest of the themes are right there. If you want to watch something short, sweet, and emotional to watch, then Shigofumi: Letters from the Departed is perfect for you! It beautifully depicts every theme while also serving us with the best cast animation and music.
